Craig Clouston

 Honesty or Salary?

February 16

Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight, or

quantity. Use honest scales, and honest weights.

Leviticus 19:35, 36

Three months on the job and he’d just had his salary doubled! It was the most

exciting position Mike had ever had. But he was in a quandary because he felt

the company was using questionable business practices known as job shopping.

Though widely accepted in the industry, Mike considered the practice dis-

honest. 

Once the company was awarded the bid on a job Mike had submit-

ted, they would ask him to call all the suppliers they had used to compile the

bid and ask them to give him a lower price on the materials or they would

find someone else to provide the product they needed at a lower price, hence,

maximizing the company’s profit. 

Mike, in an act many viewed as bordering on lunacy, told his boss that unless the company stopped the practice, he would no longer be able to work for them.

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God set a standard to live by. He expects us to act accordingly. When we

compromise principals or ethics in any way, we sacrifice part of our integrity.

Done frequently enough, we become desensitized to what we are doing. “It’s

not really so bad,” we tell ourselves to alleviate guilt and conviction. If left

unchecked, it spills over into every part of our lives.

Mike knew he would someday stand before God and give an account of

his actions. He knew there was no answer that could excuse being dishonest to

justify a large salary. We want others to treat us fairly. We teach others about

who we are by our adherence to our integrity. In Mike’s case, the company

refused to change business practices, and so he chose to leave. We may never

be faced with a decision as big as Mike’s, but when we are faced with unethical

issues, we must make a choice. Honesty or deceit? Which will it be?

Prayer

“I am tempted to look the other way sometimes,

Lord. Help me witness truth when I am confronted

with unethical issues. Help others to see the affect

You have on my life. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”